For those looking forward to a literal hip-hop president, we’ll have to wait for Jay-Z to run in 2016; it seems Fugee founder Wyclef Jean is ineligible for his planned bid to become the leader of Haiti. A Haitian preliminary election board ruled that the Haitian-born rapper/singer, who fled the country with his family when he was 9, did not meet eligibility requirements based upon residency. And though Jean vowed to fight the ruling, it’s been determined that he cannot appeal and will be forced to accept the panel’s decision without an election or a lengthy court battle. So sadly, no Fugee president in world politics…yet.
-Christian Hagen
In a bizarre scene, The Swell Season and their fans at a Saratoga, CA show found themselves unexpected witnesses to a brutal suicide. Reports say that the man, whose identity has been withheld, leapt from the roof of the Mountain Winery to his death on stage, mere feet from golden-throated singer Glen Hansard. The band has releas
ed the following statement: “The band, crew and all involved with them are shocked and saddened by th
e unfortunate events of last night. Their hearts go out to the victim and his friends and family.”
-Christian Hagen
Alright, we may have to put a limit on the number of weeks one artist can be mentioned in our news, but until he stops coming out with surprises worth talking about, Kanye West is here to stay. This week, Ye announced that he will release a new song every week until Christmas. Now, this doesn’t mean that all of these songs will be from West’s new album (slated for a November 16th release date) or even that they will feature him as a performer. He’s already dropped a Justin Bieber remix, a remix of his own “Power,” and even a new Beyonce track. West, who calls the project “good Fridays,” may be trying to top rival Lil’ Wayne in terms of prolific release schedule, and now there’s word he may be trying to top The Roots in terms of indie rock guest spots with the news that he’s recorded several tracks with Bon Iver singer Justin Vernon. While time will tell whether his fifth album will be the glorious release he hopes it will be, one thing’s for sure: He’s definitely trying.